Ordo Templariis
The Ordo Templariis (also called the Poor Fellow Crusaders of the God-Emperor and the Golden Throne, or simply Templars) is an unofficial military order of the Imperial Cult that came into existence in the early 41st Millennium. Although it is not officially recognized by the Ecclesiarchy, several Cardinals have informally granted canonical recognition of it as a hospitaller and military order of chivalry. Countless other orders of a similar nature exist throughout the Imperium, but the Ordo Templariis has come to be the best-known and among the most accomplished among them. While the Ecclesiarchy is prohibited to maintain "men under arms" by the Decree Passive dating back to the 36th Millennium, many bands of fanatical worshipers of the Emperor continued to exist across the Imperium, varying from various religious martial orders to the loosely united Frateris Militia. The group that would become the Ordo Templariis originated as the personal bodyguards of Emil Rebreanu, Arch-Cardinal of the Veldin Sector diocese. He formed a group of a few hundred Crusaders who eventually became a tight-nit brotherhood and fought in Imperial Crusades independently. After their initial success it grew more famous and attracted new followers from among the Frateris Militia, though only the most capable among them were selected. It was not long before it came to call itself the Ordo Templariis and grew beyond the service of just Arch-Cardinal Rebreanu, serving many different officials of the clergy. Since then the Ordo Templariis has grown in Segmentum Obscurus in the form of various small cells spread out among the systems, and expanded beyond the martial realm as its agents entered the financial and business world. Some of the Cardinals in the region secretly not only tolerate it but use it to provide assistance in situations when the heavy-handedness of the Imperial Guard or disorganized zealotry of the Frateris Militia are undesirable, as well as to serve as a vanguard during the Wars of Faith. Sometimes they are called upon to discreetly work as security guards on Shrine Worlds in the region. The presence of so many Forces of Chaos in the Segmentum has assured that the Templars' services are frequently demanded. Since it is a decentralized organization not directly affiliated with the Ecclesiarch or the Holy Synod itself, it is more or less tolerated by the Imperial government as long its activities are aligned with the interests of the Imperium. Role and doctrine History Origins The history of the Ordo Templariis can be traced back to the 2nd century of the 41st Millennium, to a group of nine Crusaders that entered the service of Arch-Cardinal Emil Rebreanu of the Veldin Sector diocese in Segmentum Obscurus. During the 12th Black Crusade of 143–151, the planet on which Rebreanu was on at the time, the Shrine World of Haakon VII, came under attack by Chaos Space Marines as well as various Human and Ork pirates that had been corrupted and made to serve their will. The local PDF fought bravely, but taken by surprise, they were unable to completely hold them off and the majority of the defenders were annihilated. With most of the PDF slaughtered the Arch-Cardinal took matters into his own hands and called a general mobilization of the citizenry, as part of the Frateris Militia. He convinced the governor to open the planet's remaining arsenals to arm them, while the Crusaders he had as his personal bodyguards took command of the new forces. Under their leadership the Militia troops forced the Chaos Space Marines and their more numerous auxiliaries to fight a guerrilla war, and they managed to give their enemies significant losses before the Imperial Guard arrived and they were able to expel the Forces of Chaos for good. With the crisis barely averted thanks to the millions of dedicated citizens mobilized by Arch-Cardinal Rebreanu, he came to believe that a larger, more permanent force raised by the Ecclesiarchy would be useful to the Imperium. Rebreanu acknowledged the Decree Passive which barred the clergy from raising their own military force, but considered it outdated in current times. The forces of the Frateris Militia would have been unsuccessful if they did not have the Crusaders to lead them, so the clergyman decided to establish a company of Crusaders who could lead the masses and provide protection from the assaults of Chaos. He couldn't raise a large army so establishing a smaller elite group of specialized Crusaders was more feasible. The original nine all survived the battle and became the core of his new group, whom he declared "Templars" and formally had them as his bodyguards. Over the years this group had grown to number some three hundred men, at which point their Knight Commander, Mario Zenari, decided to test their skill by taking part in a crusade. They fought with success during the Siege of Arabanth, when the governor of a Mining World went rogue after being influenced by Chaos. There they were able to enter his fortified capital by spending two weeks traversing through mountains to get to the poorly-guarded rear wall, as the Imperial Guard besieged the front of it. Zenari then led his Templars over the wall and into the city, fighting their way through the lightly-guarded rear areas before the rebellious governor directed more forces their way. At that point the Guard was able to break through the front walls, but the Templars made it to his palace first and executed the heretical leaders. The warriors of the God-Emperor then made their way out of the city before the Guard arrived to find the corpses of the governor and his advisers. Although surviving citizens reported seeing men in white armor fighting the PDF, the Imperials initially dismissed their reports and believed that he had been killed in a popular uprising by those not tainted by Chaos. Nonetheless, the legends persisted and spread over the next couple of years, and soon word of these white-armored warriors had reached the halls of the Obscurus Segmentum's Shrine Worlds. Meanwhile, Rebreanu deemed a mission to be a success and praised Zenari for the Templars' work on Arabanth before naming him the first Grand Master of the Ordo Templariis, named for the Ecclesiarchy's original army, the Frateris Templar. He told Zenari that their organization had great potential and informed him of his visions for a secretive army that would serve the Ecclesiarchy. The Templar leader agreed with the plan and decided to carry out this vision, believing their success on Arabanth to be a sign of the God-Emperor's divine support for their mission. The Shrine World of Haakon VII became the site of their de facto headquarters as Zenari and his top Templars, whom he named Masters, began to branch out and spread the Order's influence to other worlds. The rumors of their work on Arabanth — which had become considerably exaggerated by that point — made it easier to find willing agents and recruits from among the faithful. Mario Zenari would lead the Order for another few decades, eventually dying of old age, but not before expanding its reach outside the Veldin Sector and increasing its membership. Expansion Among the early prominent members of Order was Lord Seclestes Machenko of the Machenko Dynasty. However, his affiliation with the Order was found out by the Inquisition and he was executed for heresy and treason. Luckily he did not give up any secrets to his interrogators before he died. Since then, the Templars have secretly helped the Machenko Dynasty rise back to its former power to serve as the Order's main source of influence in the Calixis Sector, with most observers remaining completely ignorant of the Dynasty's true allegiance. Recent Notable Campaigns *'Siege of Arabanth' (155.M41) — The first operation undertaken by the Templars, led by Knight Commander Mario Zenari. The crisis on the Mining World of Arabanth had started out as a political squabble between two prominent officials over whom would replace the recently deceased governor. Riots between their supporters broke out, and one of the two officials was killed in suspicious circumstances. It turned out after the surviving one's inauguration that he, Governor Sidion, was actually a Chaos worshiper. The preacher of the diocese asked the Imperium for reinforcements as the planet was placed under martial law by the corrupted PDF. Two regiments of the Imperial Guard were sent, and after hearing about it Arch-Cardinal Rebreanu deployed Zenari's Templars to the world as well. Much of the population remained free of Chaos influence, but most of the PDF and government had been corrupted. They held up in the three largest cities on Arabanth, all near each other and considerably fortified due to the recent Black Crusade. The Guard besieged the tri-cities from the the outside but the battle lines became stalemated as they were unable to break through the outer walls. The Templars landed and attacked the rear wall of the tri-cities, passing through treacherous mountains that made it impassable for all but a small group of people. They spent two weeks traversing through the area and waiting as all of their Templars made it through. They then scaled the poorly-guarded rear wall and entered the city, beginning to fight their way towards the governor's palace. Panicking, Governor Sidion redirected some of his PDF to the rear districts to bolster their defense, allowing the Imperial Guard to make a frontal breakthrough. Ultimately the Templars reached him first, killing the governor and then retreating the way they came as the Guard fought its way there while also trying to restore order and help the civilians. The Imperial Guard discovered Sidion and his high officials dead, assuming that they had been killed in an uprising by the capital's non-corrupted residents. Although some citizens reported seeing men in distinct white armor fighting against the PDF, their claims were initially ignored and it wasn't until several years later that Inquisitors checked up on them. *'Sapani Crusade' (192–197.M41) — After discovering an isolated Human civilization that has not had contact with the galaxy since the Age of Strife, the Imperium was forced to pacify them when the Sapani Noble Houses refused to accept the Imperial Creed or to pledge fealty to the God-Emperor. The Templars, which had greatly increased in number, deployed more than half of their established regiments, including the Holy Cross, Divine Retribution, Saint Emil, Knight Hospitaller, and Emperor's Shield regiments. They fought on multiple worlds over the course of several years, this time coming into contact with the Imperial Guard. The Templar commanders initially described themselves as well-equipped members of the Frateris Militia. They saw action most notably during the Battles of Reena, Calipsaa, Mecetti, and Barnaba, as well as the Sieges of Melantha and Pelagia. Fighting either with the Guard or independently in smaller-scale operations, the Templars managed to subdue several Sapani worlds. On Mecetti and Pelagia they fought together with the Imperial Guardsmen and coordinated their operations with their higher officers, being the first instances of Templar—Guard joint operations. As the Crusade continued the Grand Master was forced to raise additional provisional regiments to send to the front, straining the Order's budget. By the time the fighting was over the Sapani Noble Houses had been either annihilated or forced to bend their knee to the Emperor, and the Templars had directly taken part in liberating more than fifteen worlds. The Guardsmen who fought there spread their legend and confirmed the beliefs of many Imperial Cult followers that they were real, and prompting the Ordo Hereticus to begin an investigation into the matter. *'Pacification of Ganf Magna' (196–198.M41) — A company of Templars under the leadership of Knight Commander Ferdinand Lacena de Navarette are deployed to the Frontier World of Ganf Magna to help the Imperial colonists who are being threatened by Ork tribes inhabiting the planet. Navarette commanded the Templars on a two year long operation in warring with the Ork invaders across the planet, providing protection to the Imperial colonists as much as he could. However, due to the Templars being spread thinly at the time, the local Master of the Order reluctantly commanded Navarette's company to leave and come to the aid of another world not far from them. The Knight Commander, seeing his task was far from complete, refused to go, along with most of his company, as they did not want to abandon the settlers of Ganf Magna. He informed the Master that they will be staying until their task was complete. His superior reported that to the Grand Master, who threatened to expel them from the Ordo Templariis for disobedience. Navarette and his men refused to leave anyway and were subsequently expelled. They continued to fight until Navarette's death in battle against the Orks. Realizing the Templars were not enough to help everyone and believing their leadership to be not caring enough of the people, the remaining knights established themselves into a new order, the Ordo Sancti Lacena, which would become a prominent hospitaller military order of the Imperial Creed in its own right. *'Queen's Crusade' (199–207.M41) — Organization Structure Due to its unofficial nature and the prying eyes of the Inquisition, the Ordo Templariis is a heavily decentralized organization and remains very secretive, essentially being an underground society. It does not field vast armies as did the Frateris Templar of the 36th Millennium, the Ecclesiarchy's original military. The main block of the Ordo Templariis is the local cell. They typically cover a planetary region or a single city and are responsible for managing the order's affairs within that area. The next on the hierarchy is the planetary cell, usually led by a Master who oversees all Templar operations on that world. Cells on those levels are often aligned with the local dioceses of the Ecclesiarchy for simplicity. Above them is a theoretical sub-sector cell, which really only exists as an administrative unit and consists of a single Master of the Order that oversees the planetary cells in his assigned region. Masters of the Order answer directly to the leader of the Ordo Templariis, the Grand Master, who oversees both their financial holdings in Imperial space as well as their military operations at the front. These cells are used to manage their recruitment and dealings with the clergy on a local level while minimizing the possibility of an infiltrator from the Ordo Hereticus or anyone else making contact with the higher leadership. Contrary to popular belief in the Imperium, the Templars were not only a military organization but also had contacts in the business world in order to finance their crusades. Local and planetary cells were frequently in contact with the local clergy in order to get information and access to potential recruits, as well as making deals with businessmen and others sympathetic to their cause. Not all members of the Ordo Templariis are soldiers, in fact many of them are bureaucrats, bankers, scribes, and diplomats that work to build up a network of contacts throughout regional Imperial authorities throughout the Obscurus Segmentum and in the business sector. In battle, Templar formations are typically organized around the basic unit of a cohort, which includes one Templar and three Squires training under him. Occasionally Templars operate in single units or a in a cohort that consists entirely of Templars, usually ones that chose not to take any Squires. On the next level, twenty Cohorts are combined for one company of eighty men total. Three companies make up a regiment of two-hundred and forty men. That is usually the highest formation available in their order of battle, but in major engagements regiments can be grouped together into a legion of two or more regiments. Ranks *'Acolyte' — A member initiated into the the Order but not yet a full Templar. Most often these are individuals who are not of the military profession but serve the organization's administrative and financial needs. Others are spies or assassins, agents that know little about the Order's leadership and can be expandable. Most Acolytes are not trusted enough to meet with the higher-ranking officials of the Ordo Templariis and usually communicate with them through Templars that serve as their agents. The very few exceptions to this are those Acolytes who are influential or hold high positions in other organizations. Once an Acolyte proves useful and devoted enough to the Ordo Templariis they are elevated to the rank of Templar. They have to pass the Test of Knowledge to show their knowledge of the Order's internal workings. *'Squire' — Likewise, a member initiated into the Order but not yet a full Templar. Many are soldiers from the Frateris Militia, Imperial Guard, or simply devoted followers of the Imperial Cult that are temporarily at this rank before becoming a full Templar. Squires are essentially the military equivalent of Acolytes. They are apprenticed to Templars and serve as his assistants and guards, essentially, and accompany him into battle as they learn more about the Ordo Templariis so they can become full members. Once a Squire proves himself to have become skilled and knowledgeable enough they are elevated to the rank of Templar, which is done after multiple tests, including the Test of Knowledge that shows how much a Squire knows about the Order, and the Test of the Sword, in which he demonstrates his skills in the art of war. *'Templar' — Once an aspirant has proved to be a useful and skilled member of the Order, he is granted the rank of Templar. This does not necessarily mean he is a soldier, but rather a full member of the Ordo Templariis. Many holders of the rank are non-combatant workers who serve the organization's other needs. Those that become Templars are granted either a group of three Squires (if they are a soldier) or three Acolytes with skills that are useful in their field if they are a non-combatant. These three serve as their apprentices and assistants, preparing and learning from the Templar so that they themselves can become full members of the Order. Templars are trusted enough to communicate with higher-ranking officials and answer directly to the Master that leads their cell or commands their unit. If not fighting, their duty consists of carrying out their Master's orders, managing the Order's affairs in their locality, or recruiting new potential Acolytes/Squires. **''Knight Commander'' — A temporary field officer rank assigned to particularly skilled soldiers that essentially serve as NCOs and junior officers in times of war (with Masters being the equivalent of senior/general officers). Several Knight Commanders are usually appointed in a company, being able to command multiple cohorts in a squadron. Sometimes they are given command of a company or even a regiment if a Master is not present or had been incapacitated. Those appointed to this rank remain in it during a campaign or crusade, or sometimes a single battle, and are still Templars in the Order. *'Master' — Those Templars that have shown exceptional dedication, charisma, loyalty, and skill can be appointed a Master. To become one requires a nomination from the current Master to the Master of the Order, who can chose to endorse the candidate to the Grand Master. Typically they are also chosen from the longest-serving Templars. If one passes these requirements they are appointed a Master of a cell. In combat they usually command a company or sometimes a regiment, while in Imperial space they manage all functions of their assigned cell. This could vary from a local cell, organizing all Order business in a city or continent, to a sub-sector cell, where they oversee the activities of multiple planetary cells. Masters are expected to not only be skilled fighters and tacticians but also knowledgeable in diplomacy, history, languages, economics, and other subjects to effectively lead their assigned cell. *'Master of the Order' — A council is chosen from among most senior and skilled Masters by the Grand Master himself to become Masters of the Order, those assigned to oversee the Ordo Templariis activities in a whole sector of the Segmentum Obscurus. They are typically based on what the Order deems to be the most important world in the sector, or otherwise spend their time traveling between the various cells. They help guide the Masters in their work, make sure they are doing everything correctly, and sometimes give them orders from the Grand Master. Masters of the Order convene on Haakon VII once yearly, the Shrine World on which the Order was founded centuries ago. They meet with the Grand Master there and discuss progress in their missions as well as any other concerns. In battle, Masters of the Order typically command a regiment, legion, or serve in a staff officer capacity. *'Grand Master' — The council of Masters of the Order elects a single Grand Master from among themselves, who is then given near-supreme powers over the Ordo Templariis. He is the head of the organization and oversees all of its activities, including both economic endeavors in Imperial space as well as military operations at the front. The Grand Master hands down orders to the Masters, but if his actions are deemed to be unreasonable or negatively effecting the organization, then the Masters of the Order are able to veto his decision. If he proves to be incompetent or otherwise incapable of leading the Ordo Templariis the council is able to decide this in a vote of no confidence and remove him, although this has rarely happened in its history. Recruitment and Training In theory, recruitment is open to anyone of the male sex who wants to serve the Imperial Creed. The majority of Ordo Templaris recruits originally were part of the Frateris Militia or had been Crusaders in employ of a Cardinal. However, the Ordo Templariis specifically seeks out those that have prior military experience in the Imperial Guard or Navy, and avoids dealing with the more radical cults as it is a disciplined military force. Such knowledge is necessary as the Templars provide only minimal training to new recruits on how to use their unique equipment and to work in small units, so those that have no military experience or natural fighting ability would not last long. Those individuals that have passed the requirements and have been accepted as Acolytes or Squires undergo a secret ritual in which they pledge their lives in service of the God-Emperor and His Creed, and to hold their oaths unto death. That is why potential recruits are investigated and subtly tested over a period of time to make sure they are really able to commit to the Ordo Templariis and will have no other loyalties that could get in the way. Vetting is also done to prevent heretics or Inquisition infiltrators from making it into their ranks. Order of Battle Order bases and hideouts Relations Allies Ecclesiarchy As the Ordo Templariis consider themselves to be servants of the faith their closest relations are with the Ecclesiarchy, the church of the Imperium. Officially, the Ecclesiarch and the Holy Synod refuse to recognize the Order and mostly ignore it. But the high cardinals and bishops have also refused to condemn their existence as the Inqusition wanted them to. It is widely rumored that many individual members of the priesthood in Segmentum Obscurus are in contact with the Templars, but initial investigations by the Ordo Hereticus failed to produce conclusive evidence of the Templars' connection to higher-ranking Cardinals and deemed the organization not threatening enough to the Imperium's security to justify further action. Sympathetic clergymen of the Ecclesiarchy provide support to the Ordo Templariis in whatever ways they can, in terms of providing them funding, recruits, and safehouses. The higher levels of the Ecclesiarchy overlook such actions, helping fuel rumors of the Holy Synod's connection to the Templars. Among the safe havens provided by the Ecclsiarchy are Shrine Worlds, where many Templars can mingle with others but essentially be safe, passing off as preachers or believers. Templars often coordinate their activities based on the dioceses that the Ecclesiarchy is organized on, keeping in contact with the local clergy which provides them with support. There have been known instances of some pacifist priests respecting the Decree Passive and refusing to cooperate with the Ordo Templariis, reporting them to the Imperial authorities. Fortunately such instances are rare as most are either indifferent or sympathetic to the organization. Imperium The nature of their work brings the Templars into frequent contact with other Imperial apparatuses. The most common are the Imperial Guard, which often find themselves fighting on the same battlefield against the same enemy as the Templars. The Guard high command has no official policy to address the Ordo Templariis as they have to manage the war effort around the whole Milky Way Galaxy while the Templars mostly remain in Segmentum Obscurus. The unspoken rule is that the commanders on the ground are allowed to deal with them in whatever way the situation dictates. Often times this means the Guardsmen indirectly cooperate and fight alongside the Templars, although Commissars frequently prohibit direct communication between them. The only exceptions are when a given regiment's Commissars are corrupt, pragmatic, or incapacitated. The reactions of individual Guard commanders to Templar assistance are more often positive than not, as on many occasions they provide a welcome reinforcement and additional manpower is always good. A quiet respect exists between the two organizations, the Guard for the Templars' dedication and fighting skill, and the Ordo Templariis for the Guard's work in serving the Imperial Creed. There have been known occasions where a regimental commissar or a General orders regiments to refuse to work with Templars or be openly hostile to them, but such instances rarely lead to any positive outcome for either side and are not common. They've also been known to fight with the Adeptus Astartes on a few occasions when they were assisting the Imperial Guard. Likewise, the Frateris Militia, a term that refers to fanatical believers raised as military force by clergymen to fight in wars, have very positive relations with the Templars. In battles on Imperial worlds, members of the Ordo Templariis often raise Militias to fight alongside them, and many are willing to do so as the organization had achieved famous status among many of the more dedicated followers of the Imperial Creed. The local church officials usually cooperate in raising such a force, and the Templars try to avoid using them in a way that would cause needless massive casualties. Some members of the Militia that distinguish themselves in battle and are noticed end up getting recruited into the Order. Their relations with other parts of the Imperium are more mixed or outright hostile. The few run-ins between Templars and Inquisitors usually end negatively and often with someone's death. The Inquisition initially tried to hunt down the organization, but upon not making much leads in tracking down or infiltrating their group, its leadership gave up on doing so. On those occasions that the Inquisition's members are fighting in the same place against the same enemy, they usually go out of their way to avoid each, with cooperation being rare. Relations between them and the Ecclesiarchy's official fighting force, the all-female Adepta Sororitas, are more mixed, sometimes being able to work together but maintaining a rivalry due to many of them seeing the Templars as people living in the past and seeking to usurp their position within the Imperium. To the average Imperial citizen the Order is not much more than a myth. The story of white-armored soldiers fighting showing up and stopping the God-Emperor's enemies has become a popular legend whispered in the halls of Shrine Worlds throughout Segmentum Obscurus, with the more dedicated followers of the Imperial Faith believing it to be true while others say it is nothing more than propaganda. Other Creed Orders Many different religious martial orders similar to the Templars exist throughout the Imperium, including in Segmentum Obscurus, and the Templars' relations with these various groups are mixed. The one they have the most contact with is what was originally a splinter organization of the Templars, the Ordo Sancti Lacena, which was founded by a former member of the Ordo Templariis. The Hospitallers of Saint Lacena provide security and humanitarian support to followers of the Imperial Creed and occasionally work together with the Templars to assist people living in warzones. While relations between the two groups are generally positive, they can be tense sometimes as many Templars consider them to be dishonored former members of their Order, while some Hospitallers regard their brethren as being too greedy and power-hungry. Nonetheless, relations between the Ordo Templariis and Ordo Sancti Lacena tend to be positive and the two groups consider each other allies. Enemies Symbols and insignia The main coat of arms of the Ordo Templariis are the several variations of the Maltese cross, usually red or black in color placed on a white background. It is present on their battle armor and regimental banners. Wargear The Ordo Templariis does not have factories to produce its own gear, so it instead relies what it can purchase from various firms and manufacturers, salvage from the battlefields, or acquire from corrupt Administratum officials. Thus there is no true uniform kit of weapons for Templars, with some on outlying worlds even having to procure weapons and equipment themselves, but some general guidelines are followed. The Masters of the Order and lower-ranking Masters frequently make deals with smaller firms and companies to supply the organization with weapons, armor, and other military equipment, which are then shipped off to the sub-sector cell leaders, who redistribute everything to planetary cells, where they are redistributed among local cells. Often times the Masters of local and planetary cells make deals themselves to get their own equipment. In addition, the Order procures supplies for those of its members fighting at the front lines, as at least 15% of the Templars are engaging in crusades at any given time, often more. Those are then directly sent to the battlefield by the Templar Fleet or enterprising merchants. As a result of these conditions, the wargear that the Templars use varies greatly, ranging from Militarum-grade lasguns to older and lower quality arms. Armor used by the order is more consistent and generally higher quality, although even those can be hard to supply at times and some members of the Order have to improvise; especially the lower-ranking Squires as the full Templars have priority in weapons, being more skilled and in many cases more likely to see combat. Some common weaponry includes the following: *'Chainsword' *'Eviscerator' *'Power Sword' *'Autogun' *'Shotgun' *'Lasgun' *'Plasma Pistol' *'Frag and Krak Grenades' *'Godwyn-De'az Storm Bolter' *'Heavy Bolter' Known armor: *'Templar Power Armor': Varying slightly in design and quality, the Templar Power Armor is produced by various firms that the Ordo Templariis is in contact with and issued to most members of the Order. It consists of a bodysuit with various pieces of armor worn over it. The standard armor provides a mix of both agility and defensive strength. Squires often wear a lighter variation of the Power Armor which gives them even more speed and agility. *'Templar Vanguard Armor': A heavier and rarer set of armor designed for those Templars that are heavy weapons specialists. Similar in design to the Power Armor but much heavier and provides more protection at the cost of reduced speed and agility. Harder to produce and supply. *'Advanced Power Armor': The Masters and veteran Templars are able to procure custom armor for themselves sometimes, and a basic design of a more advanced version of the Power Armor exists to suit their purpose. Its characteristics vary depending on which design the user decides to obtain, but they can range from ones with stronger protection while also maintaining some agility, to ones that are based on stealth. Armor, artillery, and vehicles The amount of vehicles used by the Ordo Templariis are limited, just as their other equipment. The Order possesses a small armored corps that is mainly stored in their secret headquarters on Haakon VII and shipped out to campaigns where they are needed. Templars are trained to fight as best they can without the usage of artillery or armored support, but in some cases they are necessary. The Templar armored forces mainly consist of Leman Russ tanks, Chimera transports, Medusa and Basilisk guns, as well as some lighter vehicles. Their heavy tanks and artillery are even more limited, consisting of of a few Baneblades. Most of these were former Guard vehicles recovered from battlefields and restored to operation. As a result, some of them are prone to breaking down and having other problems despite the best efforts of the dedicated Templar machinists on Haakon VII. The Order also purchases some unique designs of light tanks and transports from different companies that are new, but they usually are fewer in number. Because of this, while on the battlefield these vehicles tend to be used very cautiously and conservatively by Knight Commanders as they are difficult to replace. Templar Fleet The Ordo Templariis also maintains a small fleet of starships, which mainly consists of non-combat merchant vessels that are used for a variety of purposes. Those include transporting supplies and serving as mobile training centers for recruits, as well as reconnaissance ships. The vessels are crewed by many former Navy personnel and civilian pilots, who also provide training to those new fleet recruits that have no such background. There are a few heavier, armed vessels in service, the majority of them being large bulk freighters equipped with guns and converted into "pocket destroyers" to serve as escorts. However, the Templar Fleet's main weapon is said to be speed and manipulation, as it strictly avoids getting involved in direct battles as much as possible. The Grand Masters of recent centuries have sought to increase the size of the Fleet and provide it with larger military vessels, but so far that has not happened. Since the Templar Fleet is limited in number, the Masters often hire out merchants and smugglers to help in the task of delivering supplies to various Order cells. The organization's banking and investments pay for these operations and ensure that the hired captains remain quiet about the nature of their client. Quotes By the Templars About the Templars :Feel free to add your own. Trivia *Originally the author was inspired to write this after seeing the article on Crusaders on Warhammer 40k Wiki, where it stated "Across the Imperium there exist countless orders that combine martial and religious ideals, each venerating and serving the God-Emperor according to its own ideals and traditions." *The Ordo Templariis is based on the real Order of Knights Templar, one of the Roman Catholic military orders that was founded in Jerusalem in the 11th century AD. Category:Adeptus Ministorum Category:Frateris Militia Category:Imperium